Coaching

Preparing
songs / roles of the german repertoire and need some coaching? Feel free to contact me: [email protected]

The german language is a big challenge for any singer – not only concerning the dialogue in operetta or operas like Entführung, Zauberflöte, Fidelio and Freischütz, but in general, even for those who grew up speaking and hearing it. Singing in German requires special skills, especially when it comes to the lied repertoire and the parlando sections in the operas of Richard Strauss (not to be confused with Sprechgesang!).

Sur- and subtitles in the theatre
may be a help for the audience; but if you only get the
message when reading the surtitles (or the translations), a performance doesn’t
make much sense. Given the present standards at even the most famous houses,
you can’t blame newcomers when they complain they don’t understand what they
are hearing from the stage. In a well prepared performance with skilled
conductors and singers who have been trained in taking care of the words as
well as of the music however, you should be able to understand much of the text
just by listening. And it’s completely beside the point if theatre managers
invest in surtitle systems instead of language coaches.

That’s the main reason I began
coaching singers in the german repertoire. To my surprise, it’s largely fun.
It’s amazing to work with singers on creating eloquent diction without
affecting the legato or the quality of sound. I’m convinced that every singer
is able to gain the ability which makes all the difference: acting with the
voice, telling a story which everyone in the audience will understand.